Tonya Brooks holds a photo of her infant daughter, Morgan just after she was born, in her in Decatur, IL home. Morgan died in June of 1999 at the age of two months when she was overloaded with a fatal amount of bowel preparation before a colon surgery performed by Dr. Jay Riseman at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. In April 2002, the Illinois Board of Medicine put Riseman on indefinite probation, allowing him to perform surgery only after consulting with an approved surgeon. Slap-on-the wrist disciplinary actions for serious medical mishaps have followed Risemans descending career across the Midwest.(Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Prescription for secrecy: State licensing system keeps patients in the dark

A year-long investigation by reporters John Fauber and Matt Wynn found that failures in the nation's medical license system are widespread and leave hundreds of potentially dangerous doctors with clean records in some states despite disciplinary problems in others. One doctor removed the wrong body parts from patients in two states but remains able to practice in another state. Another case involving a Neenah doctor showed Wisconsin's medical board was "hamstrung by arcane matters, including what it can afford to pay an expert to evaluate" a doctor’s work.

Wisconsin 'dark store' cases threaten to hike your property taxes

Reporters Madeleine Behr in Appleton, Doug Schneider in Green Bay and Haley BeMiller in Wausau analyzed 130 lawsuits in courthouses across the state and found that chain-store retailers were trying to cut their property assessments by more than $700 million. The lawsuits meant residential and other taxpayers might be forced to foot more of the bill for local government services. Many municipal officials want state lawmakers to end the court battles through legislation, but lawmakers have so far declined to intervene. In November, voters in 17 counties and six municipalities backed referendums urging lawmakers to block retailers' efforts.

High student mobility in Milwaukee stalls achievement

Reporters Erin Richards and Kevin Crowe analyzed enrollment and test-score data to examine the breadth and effects from students switching schools. They found the sheer volume of churn in Milwaukee public schools may be undermining efforts aimed at improving student performance. One in four students switched schools last year, and the majority went from one poor-performing program to another.

Seven sailors died in June 2017 when the USS Fitzgerald, commanded by Green Bay native and Marquette University graduate Bryce Benson, collided with a commercial vessel in a Japanese channel. Benson is facing military charges. But reporters Eric Litke and Meg Jones discovered that a federal office had warned the Navy about risky training levels two years ago, and when the collision happened, the Fitzgerald was outdated in most areas of training tracked by the Navy.

A husband's violence escalated from a brutal assault to murder

Based on court documents, police investigation reports and other records obtained through state laws, reporter Alison Dirr pieced together how Robert Schmidt’s violence against his wife, Sara, reached the point that he killed her and himself with a gun he wasn't supposed to have. Dirr's report shared details that are typically excluded from news articles about domestic violence in an effort to help readers understand the dynamics of the Appleton-area family and domestic violence cases.

Milwaukee's policy to limit police chases sparks surge of pursuits

The Greenfield Police Department allows officers to engage in car pursuits for any criminal activity. This chase occurred in May 2017.(Photo: Greenfild Police Department)

Using a mountain of state data and police records, a team of reporters revealed the toll of a sharp increase in high-speed police chases, with injuries and property damage across southeastern Wisconsin. Police officials attributed the surge to brazen car thieves and drug dealers, and to a Milwaukee Police Department policy that limited pursuits. Some argued the policy caused drivers across the region to think officers wouldn't chase them. The combined number of chases logged by the nearby Glendale, Greenfield, Wauwatosa and West Allis police departments grew from 41 in 2013 to a total of 538 in 2017.

Subscribe to Wisconsin Investigations

Wisconsin Investigations is a monthly email newsletter produced by news reporter Keegan Kyle. To subscribe for free, visit the website of any USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin newsroom and add "/newsletters/manage" to the end of the home page URL. For example, visit greenbaypressgazette.com/newsletters/manage to sign up for the Green Bay Press-Gazette's edition of the newsletter.Or, just click here to subscribe.

What should we write about next? Know of any waste or corruption in your community? Please write to tips@gannettwisconsin.com or call/text our Investigations Hotline: 920-455-5025. Anonymous tips are welcome!